Germany Arrests 3 Ukrainians Suspected of Spying in Exploding Parcel Plot

FILE PHOTO: Parcels waiting to be processed are seen through a glass as a delivery worker's reflection appears on it in a post office in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Parcels waiting to be processed are seen through a glass as a delivery worker's reflection appears on it in a post office in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
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Germany Arrests 3 Ukrainians Suspected of Spying in Exploding Parcel Plot

FILE PHOTO: Parcels waiting to be processed are seen through a glass as a delivery worker's reflection appears on it in a post office in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Parcels waiting to be processed are seen through a glass as a delivery worker's reflection appears on it in a post office in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

Germany has arrested three Ukrainian nationals on suspicion of foreign agent activity linked to the shipment of parcels containing explosive devices, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The suspects are believed to have been in contact with individuals working for Russian state institutions, Reuters quoted federal prosecutors as saying in a statement.

Two of the men, identified in line with German privacy laws only as Vladyslav T. and Daniil B., were arrested over the weekend in Germany. Another, identified as Yevhen B., was arrested on Tuesday in Switzerland.

"The defendants are strongly suspected of acting as agents for the purpose of sabotage," the statement said, accusing them of agreeing to commit serious arson and procure explosives.

German authorities warned businesses in August last year that packages containing incendiary devices had caught fire en route across Europe.

Logistics firm DHL took measures to protect its network following several fires at a warehouse in Leipzig.



Zelenskiy Thanks Trump for Readiness to Support Ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 14, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 14, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
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Zelenskiy Thanks Trump for Readiness to Support Ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 14, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 14, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday he had spoken to US President Donald Trump after his announcement of new weapons for Ukraine and thanked him for his support. 

"It was a very good conversation. I thanked him for his readiness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings and establish a lasting and just peace," Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app. 

Zelenskiy said he and Trump had agreed to speak more frequently and "continue coordinating our steps". 

He also said he had a very good conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who met with Trump at the White House on Monday. 

Trump told reporters he was disappointed in Russian President Vladimir Putin and that billions of dollars of US weapons would go to Ukraine. 

He also threatened sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Russia agreed to a peace deal, expressing frustration at repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. But the threat of sanctions came with a 50-day grace period. 

The weapons would include Patriot air defense missiles, which Ukraine has urgently sought. 

Zelenskiy had earlier met US special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where they discussed boosting Ukraine's air defenses and Kyiv buying weapons with European help. 

Trump had said on Sunday that he would send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine. 

"We discussed the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer. This includes strengthening Ukraine's air defense, joint production, and procurement of defense weapons in collaboration with Europe," Zelenskiy wrote on X. 

"And of course, sanctions against Russia and those who help it." 

Trump, who began his second term with a more conciliatory approach to Russia, has in recent weeks signaled disenchantment with Putin as Moscow has stepped up air strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. 

An air-raid alert was declared in Kyiv shortly after the meeting between Kellogg and Zelenskiy on Monday.